For us, it’s personal.
myStrength
™ arose from a deep passion to help those challenged with mental health disorders. We’ve seen people close to us suffer with depression, anxiety, or overuse of drugs and alcohol and experienced first-hand the disabling impact. And we’ve witnessed our loved ones’ struggles to overcome the cost, inaccessibility, and stigma of care and treatment.
Knowing that there must be a way to overcome these obstacles, we set out to help those we love…and the more than 50 million others who are working through mental health disorders. The vision for myStrength—
The health club for your mind™—was born as we realized that the Internet and mobile applications provide a perfect way to help those in need. Done right, digital resources that complement other forms of care, such as medication and working with a mental health professional, could give users support that is affordable, accessible, and devoid of the negative image that mental healthcare sometimes carries.
To make our vision real, we leveraged our extensive digital consumer experience, tapped into our online learning expertise, and surrounded ourselves with brilliant partners and advisors. Together, we created myStrength to give people the resources they need to help create real and lasting change. Change that makes their lives, and the lives of the people around them, better.
Clinical Board
Tom Barrett, PhD
Currently a Clinical Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver, Tom is a former Senior Medical Officer for the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department in the World Health Organization and the Mental Health Director for the State of Colorado. Tom has an MA and PhD from West Virginia University.
Charles G. Curie
Charles is the principal and founder of THE CURIE GROUP, LLC, a management and consulting firm working with leaders in the healthcare field, particularly mental health (MH) and substance use (SU). Curie was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to head SAMHSA from 2001 to 2006. Curie holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and is certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW).
Neil Dickman, PhD
Neil has been a CEO, president and chief clinical officer with over thirty years of professional experience in diverse health care settings. Previous positions include: Co-Founder and CEO of Pathmakers, a behavioral health practice management company; Group Vice President and Vice President of Strategic Clinical Initiatives at United Behavioral Health and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Alere Medical, a disease state management company. Dr. Dickman received a B.A. in psychology and a Masters of Social Work at the University of Michigan. He received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Professional School of Psychology.
Stephen W. Mayberg, PhD
A nationally recognized expert on public mental health systems, Steve served as Director of the California Department of Mental Health for 18 years. During that time, he worked to advocate and implement major mental health system reform based on programmatic research and program outcomes and accountability. In 2002, Steve was appointed to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Throughout his career, he has continued to provide clinical services. Steve received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Glenn Most, Psy.D
Director of Behavioral Health Services at Exempla West Pines Behavioral Health Hospital, Glenn has been a prominent advocate for mental well-being, recently serving on the Mental Health America/Denver Metro Crisis Services Advisory Committee. Glenn has his MA in Psychology from New York University and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver.
Tony Karrer, PhD
Tony has 18 years of experience leading software development teams for high-growth online consumer companies, including serving as the initial CTO for eHarmony. He has a wide-ranging technical background and is considered one of the top technologists in training and performance support development. Tony was valedictorian at Loyola Marymount University, where he earned his BS in Computer Science, and attended the University of Southern California as a Tau Beta Pi fellow, one of the top 30 engineers in the nation, and received an MS and PhD in Computer Science.
Jill Pechacek, MD
Co-founder of Aspen Family Care Center and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Jill was featured in 5280 magazine in 2006 and received the “Top Doc” Award for family physicians in Denver. Jill received her medical degree from the University of Iowa.
Suzanne Mitchell, MD, MS
Suzanne Mitchell is an expert in clinical delivery system solutions to improve chronic disease management and care transitions for patients and family caregivers navigating the healthcare system. She is a practicing, board certified palliative care and family physician, health services researcher, and medical educator with expertise in primary care redesign, care transition and palliative care for dual eligible, chronic care and other complex patient populations. Suzanne earned her MD from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University and completed her residency in family medicine in Los Angeles CA. She received her master’s degree in clinical research from the University of California Los Angeles.
